Reds minus the reds

04 February 2009 05:24

Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back to offer you statistical gems to make your day, impress your mates and, on occasion, to settle the odd bet!

Sky Sports' voice of football and his back-up team of experts are here to answer your questions and queries on all things statistical and historical from the beautiful game.

It could be on a side in the Premier League or Football League, international scene or European competitions - or it could be about an individual player or manager.

Whatever you want to know, within reason, why not see if Martin can answer?

If you have spotted something from a game or have been stumped by a pub quiz question, simply email here

he will do his best to help.

Tyler's Starting Stat - Frank talkFrank Lampard ended up hogging the headlines at Anfield on Super Sunday, but not for the reasons you might have expected. That red card, which has of course been rescinded, overshadowed what was his 600th career appearance. It was his 403rd for Chelsea and took him above Ken Armstrong into ninth place in the club's list of all-time appearance makers. It was also his 35th game against Liverpool in all competitions which have yielded five goals and as luck would have hit, he also made his 300th career appearance at Anfield, in a 2-1 victory in August 2003. Speaking of the red card, it was only the fourth of his career and the second that has been overturned followng Peter Walton's decision to wipe out his sending off at West Ham last season. It is also the second Premier League sending off Chelsea have seen overturned this season after Mark Halsey changed his mind after dismissing John Terry at Manchester City.

KEANE TO COMPAREHi Martin. As a Liverpool fan I'm sad to see Robbie Keane go because I feel he wasn't given a chance. However, it seems I'm in the minority. My mates in the pub were saying he's the worst striker Rafa has ever signed, but I disagree. I reckon the following players all have worse Liverpool scoring records than him in the Premier League - Peter Crouch, Craig Bellamy, Fernando Morientes, Ryan Babel, Andrei Voronin.and maybe even Dirk Kuyt. Please could you give me the goals-per-game record for these players to see how Keane compares? Thanks, Tom Davidson (Liverpool fan)MARTIN SAYS: Tom, as requested I have calculated the Premier League goals-per-game ratios for the players you mention during their time at Liverpool and I can confirm you are almost right; Keane does just about come out joint-top with Andrei Voronin. Bizarrely the two players have identical scoring records for Liverpool having each scored five goals in 19 Premier League games for the club. However, Crouch and Bellamy are not far behind - with Crouch scoring more league goals for Liverpool than any of the other players you mention. Next on the list is Kuyt, followed by Morientes and Babel. It must also be taken into account that the two Dutchmen have spent much of their Anfield careers playing in wide positions. And it must be said the records are much of a muchness for all of these players!

Striker

Goals and games

Ratio

Robbie Keane

5 in 19

0.263 per game

Andrei Voronin

5 in 19

0.263 per game

Peter Crouch

22 in 85

0.259 per game

Dirk Kuyt

20 in 90

0.222 per game

Fernando Morientes

8 in 41

0.195 per game

Ryan Babel

6 in 47

0.128 per game

REDS MINUS THE REDSHi Martin, I enjoy reading all your stats and trivia. I was wondering, it seems every week Liverpool end up winning against 10 men. Is it possible for you to put together a points table for Liverpool showing how many points they have whilst playing against 11 men and how many they have playing against 10 (the time before a sending off goes with the 11 men). Also, how many times have players been sent off playing against Liverpool this year and is that a record? (It has to be!) Hanief Mukuddem, Hatfield, Hertfordshire MARTIN SAYS: Well Hanief, I am glad you enjoy the column! I am also glad we compile it every week with the help of those good people at Opta, because when it comes to this sort of question, I have to pass it on them. They tell me that, had Liverpool not had a single opponent sent off this season, they would be eight points worse off and fourth in the Premier League table, not second as they are in reality. Frank Lampard was the sixth player to be sent off in the league against Liverpool this year, which is the same as Manchester City, who had Rory Delap sent off on Saturday of course. But it isn't a record because I can tell you, again courtesy of Opta, that Manchester United had eight opponents who took early baths last season. And for the record, and by no means as a witch-hunt, did you know that Xabi Alonso has been involved in five of those six red cards? The sextet is: Nemanja Vidic (second yellow); Tim Cahill (straight red), Pablo Zabaleta (straight red); Antonio Valencia (straight red); Frank Lampard (straight red). Anyway, that is a weird fact to add to the mix, but here is that table you were after - and I can restrict it to the top half because all those reds have come against sides in the top 10.

Pos

Team

P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1

Manchester United

23

16

5

2

30

53

2

Chelsea

24

14

7

3

31

49

3

Aston Villa

24

14

6

4

14

48

4

Liverpool

24

11

10

3

18

43

5

Arsenal

24

12

7

5

13

43

6

Everton

24

10

7

7

3

37

7

Wigan Athletic

24

10

6

8

4

36

8

West Ham United

24

9

6

9

0

33

9

Manchester City

23

9

4

10

11

31

10

Fulham

22

7

8

7

3

29

EDWIN VAN DER SAVESHi Martin, great column! I love stats myself and love catching up with the latest facts and figures every week. Congratulations to Edwin Van der Sar for his achievement this past week, but is there any way of working out how many saves he has made in the last 12 league matches, and how many saves other Premier League keepers have made in the same period? Dave Hold MARTIN SAYS: Well Dave, we should indeed offer congratulations again to Edwin van der Sar, but as the results of your question prove, he cannot take all the credit. You will not be surprised to know that of all the Premier League keepers to have played between November 15, 2008 and February 1, 2009 - the period of United's new clean-sheet record - the Dutchman has been the least busy. According to the good folk at Opta he has been called upon to make just 19 stops in those 12 games at an average of 1.58 per game. That proves we should really be congratulating Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, John O'Shea, Rafael, Johnny Evans and the rest who have made up the back-four in front of the United keeper during that 12-game run. I am sure Scott Carson at West Brom will be looking on with some envy!

Keeper

Team

Games

Saves

Per game

Carson

West Brom

12

52

4.33

Given

Newcastle

10

41

4.10

Gomes

Tottenham

10

40

4.00

Green

West Ham

12

47

3.92

Turnbull

Middlesbrough

11

42

3.82

Jaaskelainen

Bolton

12

44

3.67

Schwarzer

Fulham

11

40

3.64

Sorensen

Stoke City

11

37

3.36

Friedel

Aston Villa

12

37

3.08

Hart

Manchester City

11

33

3.00

Fulop

Sunderland

11

32

2.91

James

Portsmouth

11

31

2.82

Myhill

Hull City

10

27

2.70

Reina

Liverpool

12

32

2.67

Almunia

Arsenal

12

30

2.50

Cech

Chelsea

11

27

2.45

Howard

Everton

12

29

2.42

Kirkland

Wigan

10

24

2.40

Robinson

Blackburn

11

20

1.82

Van der Sar

Manchester Utd

12

19

1.58

FETCH FOR FLETCHHi Martin, I was recently having a discussion with my mates about certain players performances against the big four. I was just wondering what Man United's record is against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal when Darren Fletcher is in the team (over the last few seasons)! I think it may be a very good record. Ryan, BelfastMARTIN SAYS: Darren Fletcher does indeed have an excellent record against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. Out of the 17 Premier League games that he played in against those clubs, Fletcher has only been on the losing side three times (once against each side), while he has drawn seven times and won seven times. He has however only scored in one of those games, albeit the winner against Chelsea in November 2005.

Wins

Draws

Losses

11/01/09 - Chelsea 3-0

21/09/08 - Chelsea 1-1

17/09/06 - Arsenal 0-1

22/10/06 - Liverpool 2-0

09/05/07 - Chelsea 0-0

10/05/05 - Chelsea 3-1

22/01/06 - Liverpool 1-0

26/11/06 - Chelsea 1-1

24/04/04 - Liverpool 0-1

06/11/05 - Chelsea 1-0 (Scored)

03/01/06 - Arsenal 0-0

01/02/05 - Arsenal 4-2

18/09/05 - Liverpool 0-0

15/01/05 - Liverpool 1-0

08/05/04 - Chelsea 1-1

09/11/03 - Liverpool 2-1

28/03/04 - Arsenal 1-1

FOUR-FOUR-WHO?Martin, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once scored four goals at Old Trafford against Everton in the Premier League (04/12/1999). A season earlier, he also once scored four goals away to Nottingham Forest in a famous 12-minute spree (06/02/1999). I have three questions in one about this. Has any other player managed to score four goals both at home, and away in the Premier League's existence? When was the last time a player managed to score four goals both home and away in the league (both Premiership, and old 1st Division), and finally, has anyone else managed to score four goals faster that Solskjaer?Tom Lawrenson MARTIN SAYS:Three questions in one, Tom? Seeing as I am feeling in a generous mood I will allow that and, this time without having to turn to Opta. Four-goal hauls are not what you would call commonplace in the Premier League - it has happened 17 times, including two five-goal hauls from Alan Shearer (for Newcastle against Sheffield Wednesday) and Andy Cole (for Manchester United against Ipswich). Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has, as you say, done it twice both home and away, but I can confirm that he is not the only man to do so. That honour is shared by none other than Michael Owen, who scored four for Liverpool at Anfield (against Nottingham Forest, October 24, 1998) and on the road (against West Brom, April 26, 2003). That means Michael is the answer to the first two parts of your question Tom, as the only other and last player to do so. Another Liverpool favourite, Robbie Fowler is the only other man to get four goals in a game on two occasions but they both came at Anfield (against Bolton, September 23, 1995 and Middlesbrough, December 14, 1996). In terms of the quickest four goal haul Tom, Solskjaer's are timed at 10 minutes because the final two came in stoppage time and are down as 90 minutes, his first and second goals coming on 80 and 87 respectively. The closest to that is four goals in 19 minutes by Tottenham's Jurgen Klinsmann, who got his after 41, 51, 58 and 60 minutes of the game with Wimbledon on May 2, 1998.

Tyler's teaserMartin I have got a teaser for you. Can you tell me who Clarence Lal Hilditch was and why he is such a rarity to Manchester United? Kristoffer WilliamsonMARTIN SAYS: Another very good teaser, Kristoffer, but again one that I can answer! I can tell you that the reason Clarrie Hilditch is such a rarity and indeed unique is because he is Manchester United's only player-manager. ever. Born on June 2, 1894, Hilditch started his career at Hartford, before playing for Witton Albion and Altrincham. He joined Manchester United as an outside left in 1919 - having served as a London-based clerk in a cavalry unit during the First World War - but soon reverted to his favourite position of half-back. He was a regular in the United side and played twice for England in that period before taking over the managerial role in 1926 when predecessor John Chapman was suspended by the FA. Hilditch remained in charge until the end of the season but according to my history books, was reluctant to play himself and United's form slipped as a result. When Harry Bamlett took over at the end of that one season, he was restored to the side and played on until 1932 when he retired. In all Hildtich played 322 league games for United, scoring seven goals and spent 16 years at the club - without winning any honours.